Authorities today appealed for public help in finding the hit-and-run driver and a passenger involved in a crash near USC that killed one student and seriously injured another.

The victims were in a crosswalk on Jefferson Boulevard at Hoover Street about 3 a.m. Sunday when a driver heading east on Jefferson ran a red light and the vehicle struck the victims, said Sgt. Rodney Cato of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Adrianna Bachan, 19, was killed, the LAPD reported. According to USC Daily Trojan’s Web site, Bachan, of Santa Barbara, was a USC freshman majoring in environmental studies and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

A 19-year-old male student was hospitalized, police said. He was identified by the Daily Trojan as Marcus Garfinkle, an undecided freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz., and a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

The students were taken to California Hospital Medical Center, where Bachan died of massive head trauma. Garfinkle underwent surgery and was in stable but serious condition. He reportedly suffered broken legs and a broken arm.

At a mid-morning news conference at the accident scene, the young woman’s mother made an emotional plea for public help in solving the crime.

“She was unbelievable — she was good,” Carmen Bachan said. “I don’t even have tears; I am crying so much … I want my daughter.”

Police said that after the car hit Garfinkle, the driver stopped long enough for a passenger to pull him off the hood before fleeing. The passenger was described only as an Hispanic male.

The hit-and-run car was described as a black, 1999-2002 Honda Accord or Toyota Corolla, which police said sustained “extensive” damage to the front end and a broken windshield.

“It’s heartbreaking for us to lose one of our girls,” Blessing Waung, president of the USC Panhellenic Council,” told the Daily Trojan. “The whole Greek community is reaching out to support Pi Phi right now because they have lost one of their sisters, and that’s something that no one should have to go through.”

James Grant, director of USC Media Relations, said the school and police are trying to find the driver.

“We are all deeply saddened by this shocking incident, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of all of those touched by this tragedy,” Grand told the newspaper. “We are working closely with LAPD in an effort to bring the person responsible to justice.”

Anyone with information about the car or driver was asked to call detectives at (323) 290-6063, or the 24-hour number (877) LAPD-247.